Tr??ng T?n Sang (born 21 January 1949) is the president of Vietnam. He became state president following a vote of the National Assembly in July 2011. The office is a ceremonial position, but Sang is also ranked second after General Secretary Nguy?n Ph? Tr?ng on the party's Central Secretariat, a body which directs policy making. Sang has been a member of the Central Politburo, the executive committee of the Communist Party, since 1996. He was party secretary for Ho Chi Minh City from 1996 to 2000. He was promoted to the national partyˇs number two slot in October 2009.